Fund101:The August shortlist

We're happy to unveil our shortlist of five great small enterprises for Fund101 for August. Based on YOUR votes, two of the five below will receive up to £500 to help finance an idea that will improve their business.

We received stacks of applications for the August round and it was quite a task for us and Fund101 sponsor PayPal to make a final selection. But we've got five great start-ups and small businesses that are fully deserving of your support. Please do take a read of the summaries below, then visit the Fund101 Candidates' page to click through to their full applications and to cast your vote. Voting is open until August 31st and the mechanism is simple: the two companies with the most votes by the end of the day on August 31st will receive the money they've applied for. We'll announce our two winners in early September, along with the September shortlist. Here's the Fund101 shortlist for August

1. The December Agency

 

Seeking £500. London-based December is a fashion and lifestyle PR, consultancy and events agency that is just starting up and planning to work with talented clients who reflect their own minimal yet luxurious aesthetic . Co-founder Madeleine Davenport is seeking £500 to support the company's website and branding development. Read the December application.

Vote for me!

2. Herb & Hedgerow

Seeking £500. Herb & Hedgerow is a natural  beauty company based in West Dorset and run by ecologist, biologist and mum of two Lorraine Dallmeier. Lorraine has created the BeautyCraft app for iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad, which features her own recipes for handcrafted herbal beauty products.  Lorraine is seeking £500 towards an upgrade of the app so that it is compatible with iPhone 5. Read the Herb & Hedgerow application.

Vote for me!

3. Unique Sleeps

Seeking £500. Unique Sleeps, based in East Grinstead, is an online holiday directory specialising in unique and unusual places to stay. Owner Kate Paulwell wants to capitalise on the site's recent growth in popularity and support her marketing effort by purchasing a business subscription to an online video software provider and by financing a listing on The Good Web Guide. Read the Unique Sleeps application.

Vote for me!

4. Unruly Blue

Seeking £500. Oxford-based Unruly Blue creates high quality, vintage-inspired clothing for boys aged 4-12. Samantha Taylor's creations have already been picked up by Selfridges and New York buyers have shown an interest, too. Samantha is seeking £500 towards the development of an ecommerce website to sell Unruly Blue's collections. Read the Unruly Blue application.

Vote for me!

5. Word of Mouth Travels

Word of Mouth Travels is the publisher of The Locals' Guide to Edinburgh and aims to become the niche insider guide for cities worldwide. The business has big ambitions, but owner Owen O'Leary is currently seeking £500 to commission a talented photographer to take final images for the company's second publication, The Locals Guide to Glasgow. Read the Word of Mouth Travels application.

Vote for me!

Vote for your favourite

You can vote for your favourite candidate by simply clicking the ‘Vote for me' button on the right hand side of their application page. Remember, only two of the businesses above will receive the funding, based on your votes. The closing date for voting is August 31st. Want to raise money for YOUR small enterprise?

Enterprise Nation and PayPal are accepting applications for the August round of Fund101. It's easy to apply â€" just fill out the application form by 23rd August. You can apply for up to £500 and we'll then shortlist five applications with PayPal, to go live for voting on 2nd September. Make your application!